


Sick Days and Churros

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fuzzy Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:42:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14672268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: Peter is sick and Bucky drops by to hang out.





	Sick Days and Churros

          Bucky is not one for health food. Every time he wakes up to the smell of a protein shake, he groans at his hopeless best friend. He's certain that if Steve didn't make him drink them, he never would.  _The things this kid does sometimes._  

          Steve may act all grown up now, but Bucky sees that reckless kid every time he plays the old man that the rest of the Avengers expect him to be. Bucky drags a hand down his face, not his metal one, and sits up in his bed. The blender out in the kitchen commons makes him jump a little. He has half a mind to ask Tony for a different room. 

          As the blades of the little machine grind to a stop, Bucky has to force himself not to flinch away from the flashback of chopper blades above his head. Bucky gives himself a shake and pulls himself off of his bed.  _Maybe I'll go hang out with the kid for a while. He should be on summer break._  

          With that though in mind, he slips a t-shirt over his shoulders, tugging it down to his waist. He pulls on a pair of sweatpants and jogs across to Central Park. He can see Steve making his normal rounds with Sam. Well, sort of with Sam. He can't hear Steve, but he'd be willing to bet his left arm that Steve keeps telling Sam 'On your left' no matter how many times he passes him. He keeps out of sight, tugging his unruly hair up into a ponytail that he'd been given by Tony's bots. 

          When he arrives at Peter's apartment, he knocks softly. Peter's aunt May opens the door and she smiles at him.

          "James. It's nice to see you again. Peter's feeling a little under the weather, but you're welcome to come talk with him. I know it'd be nice for him to hang out with someone."

          "Thanks, Mrs. Parker."

          "May is fine." she says, glancing back to where Peter must be.

          A wiggle of worry runs through him, but he ignores it, walking into the homey apartment. Bucky spots the kid lying on his side as he lays on the couch. He has dark circles under his eyes, and he looks pretty stuffy. A blanket is carefully draped over his shivering body. 

          He brightens when he sees Bucky. "Hey."

          "Hey, kid. Your aunt told me you weren't feeling great."

          Peter shakes his head, letting it flop miserably onto his pillow. 

          "Can you still feel your spider-sense?"

          "My skull is buzzing. I doubt I could tell the difference." Peter grouses, coughing into the sleeve of his hoodie. "Did somebody call you?"

          "Well, I was coming to hang out, seeing as how everyone else in the Tower has the same boring routine every day. But I suppose I should leave you be if you're not feeling well."

          "Stay?"

          Bucky looks at him. His cheeks are flushed with color and Bucky is certain he's running a nice fever. Peter grabs his metal wrist. Bucky gives in easily, settling down next to the kid's feet. Peter coughs a bit more and lifts his head to smile at Bucky.

          "Why don't you take a nap, kid? I'm about 60% certain that New York will still be here when you wake up."

          "Are you gon-gonna be here when I wake up?" Peter murmurs tiredly. 

          "Sure. I'll find us something to eat while you're sleepin', all right squirt?"

          "M'not a squirt. I'd like a churro please."

          He ruffles Peter's hair and catches May watching their interaction with warm affection in her eyes. Peter promptly falls asleep after the attention is off of him. Bucky gets a motherly hug from May before he heads out the door. He frowns as he realizes that it started to drizzle while he was inside. Always the prepared one, May tosses him a jacket from the hooks beside the door. 

          "Keep warm, James."

          "Will do, Mrs. Parker."

          She shakes her head lightly at his formality, but smiles as he jogs down the sidewalk, giving him one last wave before he disappears into the crowd. 

          Bucky looks around and huffs. "Churros? Where am I gonna' find those?"

          He pulls out the phone that Tony had given him and 'googles' where the find some.  _Who even came up with google?_

          Still, he picks up a couple of churros and tacos for himself. He's never had the pleasure of making churros himself, but he does know how to make killer tacos. He chuckles to himself.  _Literally._

          Once he manages to get a couple dozen of each into to-go boxes, he heads back to Peter's apartment. The kid always eats like he's been without food for a week. When he gets there, Peter is conked out on the couch, light snores coming from his mouth. May asks him to sit, and he obliges, relaxing into the chair once he's down. He'd picked the closest one to Peter so that he could keep an eye on both him and the door. 

          May brings him a book and she sits across the room in the recliner with her thin reading glasses on, paging through a thick magazine of what looks like expensive women's clothing. Bucky puts his bag of food down on the floor and sighs heavily, opening the book to where he'd left off. Peter had gotten him into the Harry Potter series, but he mostly reads them to humor the kid. He finds the books a bit repetitive, but it makes Peter a bit brighter when he sees him reading them. 

          Peter wakes up about an hour later, feeling a bit better than before. Bucky gives him a third of a churro so that he doesn't upset Peter's stomach, but Peter doesn't seem to mind. He just seems pleased to have one at all. 

          May gets him a glass of water to wash it down with and a few crackers. She checks his fever and tugs his blanket up to his shoulders again. Peter moans over her fussing, but he doesn't stop her. Bucky pulls the small box of Wii remotes out from under the couch and Peter sits up, curling the blanket just so. 

          "I'll beat you at tennis, kiddo."

          Peter laughs a little, coughing. "As if, old man."

          "I'll show you old, _squirt_."

          Bucky plays a few rounds of tennis, and actually bowling, which Peter can apparently play sitting down. Bucky plays with his left hand, keeping perfectly steady with every throw. Peter rolls his eyes.

          "It's like losing to a toaster. I feel so humiliated."

          Bucky scoffs. "If I'm a toaster, then you'd be a crumb. You lose, kiddo."

          " _I'm sick_." Peter whines. "Couldn't you go easy?"

          Bucky chuckles, leaning over and ruffling Peter's hair "You tryn'a guilt trip me, kid?"

          Peter looks at him, his brown doe eyes pleading to him. Bucky swears internally.  _It's not working. Stevie used to try that all the time. It's didn't work then, and it sure isn't working now._

          Peter doesn't stop with the eyes and Bucky keeps a straight face.  _Yeah, but Steve would run off and get into trouble the moment I turned around. Peter is bedridden. It's just a game, and the kid can win a couple._

          "We'll see what happens, squirt."

          Peter sneezes and groans while wiping his nose. "M'not a squirt."

          "You're seventeen to my 100, kiddo. That makes you a squirt."

          He coughs. "Fine. Just play."

          Just as he presses play, Peter stiffens. The Winter Soldier in him, of course, notices this, and he pricks back to alertness. 

          "What's up, kid?"

          "Something's going on."

          "What?"

          "Me kicking your butt." Peter grins, serving the ball while Bucky is unprepared. Offended by the kid's cheap shot, he gets him back for it by messing up every serve by nudging his hands. Peter laughs, but he doesn't try to move.

          After a little while, Peter sighs, finally bored and winding down. Bucky politely asks May is he can take Peter down to the park for a little fresh air. She hesitantly agrees, and Bucky gently picks Peter off the couch and adjusts the blanket so that it's covering him while the walk. He doesn't like being carried, but he also doesn't like being woozy. 

          They get a few weird looks as Bucky carries him, but whenever someone seems a little too distracted by it, Peter coughs weakly into his fist and they turn into sympathetic glances. 

          He gets Peter settled onto a bench when they arrive and he breathes in the humid air. Bucky wraps an arm around his shoulders and Peter leans into his warmth. 

          "Thanks for today, Bucky."

          "Hey, it's no problem, kiddo. Anytime."

          "I'm just not feeling too good."

          "Well, I brought a little something with us."

          Peter looks up at him. "Like?"

          Bucky pulls a pack of M&Ms out of his pocket and Peter smiles. 

          "Not too much, though."

          "I know, kiddo. A little sugar is good for the soul."

          "I'd take another churro."

          "I tried one while you were out. I think you'd be better off with tacos."

          "You're just old."

          "How does my being old have anything to do with tacos being better for you? Besides, isn't it always the sweet old grandmas who always offer kids cookies and sweets?"

          Peter is silent for a few seconds. "Fine."

          Bucky ruffles his hair and they sit in silence for a little while. "So, you ready to go home?"

          "Yeah."

          "Good. Steve probably starting to wonder where I've wandered off to. And I should probably be getting you back to your aunt."

          "Still, thank you."

          Bucky nods and help Peter up and he wraps the blanket around himself, sniffling. Peter claims he's steady enough to walk, but Bucky keeps an eye on him the whole way. May shuffles him into bed and says goodbye to Bucky as soon and nods they're home and dandy Peter waves as he shuts the door behind him. 

          Bucky huffs to himself as he opens his text messages.

           _Where did you leave the churros?_

          He gives a vague answer and warns May right after he sends the message with a second shorter one.

           _Hide the churros._


End file.
